World Champs Men’s 400 Hurdles — Benjamin Completes Medals Set

Rai Benjamin clobbered hurdle 10 with apparent loss of momentum yet was far enough ahead to win with the third-fastest WC or OG final time of his career. (KEVIN MORRIS)

THE LAST TIME a global championship 400H final was held in this stadium, Norway’s Karsten Warholm made history with a mind-boggling 45.94 WR, dominating rival Rai Benjamin for the gold. Benjamin has since won his own Olympic gold last summer, but he nonetheless arrived in Tokyo eager to avenge that loss. The American pulled it off in a dramatic final, though he was nearly disqualified in the process. “A complete reversal on what happened here in 2021,” Benjamin said after winning his first world title. “I am glad I finally got the job done.”

The heats were uneventful, save for the exit of the British Virgin Island’s Kyron McMaster, silver medalist in Budapest. He only managed 5th in his section in 49.89. Warholm eased up early in his heat, taking 3rd in 48.56, while Benjamin jogged across the line to take his race in 48.15.

In the first semifinal, Warholm started slowing down before the 10th barrier and allowed Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba to pass him for the win, 47.63–47.72, while Germany’s Emil Agyekum (47.83) and Great Britain’s Tyri Donovan (48.21) both set PRs. Chris Robinson of the U.S. hit the sixth hurdle and crashed to the track for a DNF.

NCAA champ Nathaniel Ezekiel of Nigeria took the second section in 47.47 ahead of the PR from Qatar’s Ismail Abakar (47.61), with American Caleb Dean (47.85) grabbing the second time qualifier just ahead of Jamaica’s Malik James-King (48.01, the fastest non-qualifier in meet history).

In the last semi, Benjamin went out hard before jogging home to win in 47.95 as ’22 world champ Alison dos Santos (48.16) of Brazil held off Qatar’s Bassem Hemeida (48.29) and Jamaica’s Roshawn Clarke (48.37).

Warholm found himself in lane 4 in the final, far from his preferred outside spot. Both he and Benjamin, in lane 7, went out hard before the Norwegian hit the third hurdle. He maintained his composure and was still running ever so slightly ahead of Benjamin down the backstretch.

Around the final curve Benjamin edged ahead, and by 300 meters he held a commanding lead (33.07) over Warholm (33.56), with dos Santos (33.95) in 3rd.

The American smacked his last hurdle, which knocked into Ezekiel’s barrier, one lane to his inside, slightly nudging it out of place. “I was running too fast. My body couldn’t keep up with what my mind was telling it to do,” Benjamin said. He lost a bit of momentum, but he was never in danger of being caught and crossed the line in 46.52, the =No. 8 performance in history. “I’m happy I had that cushion to have that mishap,” Benjamin said.

He was briefly listed as a DQ (for “displacing a hurdle thus impacting another athlete”) but was quickly reinstated after a USATF appeal and added gold to his Worlds medal collection of two silvers and a bronze.

As Warholm faded, dos Santos (46.84) was a clear runner-up. Samba (47.06) held off the fast-closing Ezekiel (47.11 NR) for bronze. Warholm (47.58) finished 5th, followed by Agyekum (47.98), Dean (48.20) and Abakar (49.82).

“I tried to push but it was just a terrible race. A disaster,” said Warholm of his ill-fated title defense. “I knew I was [in] good [shape] and that’s why this outcome is disappointing.”

MEN’S 400 HURDLE RESULTS

FINAL (September 19)

1. Rai Benjamin (US) 46.52 (x, =9 W; x, 5 A)

(11.07, 10.65 [21.72], 11.35 [33.07], 13.45) (21.72/24.80);

2. Alison dos Santos (Bra) 46.84

(11.31, 10.82 [22.13], 11.82 [33.95], 12.89) (22.13/24.71);

3. Abderrahmane Samba (Qat) 47.06

(11.33, 10.74 [22.07], 11.89 [33.96], 13.10) (22.07/24.99);

4. Nathaniel Ezekiel (Ngr) 47.11 NR

(11.60, 10.86 [22.46], 11.89 [34.35], 12.76) (22.46/24.65);

5. Karsten Warholm (Nor) 47.58

(10.97, 10.69 [21.66], 11.90 [33.56], 14.02) (21.66/25.92);

6. Emil Agyekum (Ger) 47.98

(11.97, 10.97 [22.94], 12.14 [35.08], 12.90) (22.94/25.04);

7. Caleb Dean (US) 48.20

(11.78, 11.04 [22.82], 12.23 [35.05], 13.15) (22.82/25.38);

8. Ismail Doudai Abakar (Qat) 49.82

(11.33, 11.09 [22.42], 12.39 [34.81], 15.01) (22.42/27.40).

(lanes: 2. Dean; 3. Agyekum; 4. Warholm; 5. Samba; 6. Ezekiel; 7. Benjamin; 8. Abakar; 9. dos Santos)

(reaction times: 0.147 Dean, 0.150 Benjamin & Warholm, 0.159 dos Santos, 0.167 Abakar, 0.169 Ezekiel, 0.182 Samba, 0.186 Agyekum)

HEATS (September 15)

I–1. Samba 48.03; 2. Tyri Donovan (GB) 48.26 PR; 3. Chris Robinson (US) 48.27; 4. Malik James-King (Jam) 48.27; 5. Wiseman Mukhobe (Ken) 48.27 PR; 6. Oskar Edlund (Swe) 48.52 PR; 7. Jesus David Delgado (Spa) 48.98; 8. Shunta Inoue (Jpn) 49.73; 9. Cheong Chi Chong (MAC) 52.76.

II–1. Bassem Hemeida (Qat) 48.43; 2. dos Santos 48.48; 3. Owe Fischer-Breiholz (Ger) 48.81; 4. Matic Ian Guček (Slo) 48.92; 5. Kyron McMaster (BVI) 49.89; 6. Daiki Ogawa (Jpn) 50.08; 7. Marc Anthony Ibrahim (Leb) 50.20; 8. Akanye Samuel-Francis (StK) 53.26;… dnf—Alessandro Sibilio (Ita).

III–1. Matheus Lima (Bra) 48.15; 2. Abakar 48.34; 3. Warholm 48.56; 4. Berke Akçam (Tur) 48.68; 5. Kemorena Tisang (Bot) 48.72; 6. Joshua Abuaku (Ger) 49.41; 7. Carl Bengtström (Swe) 49.74; 8. Assinie Wilson (Jam) 49.91; 9. Jun Jie Calvin Quek (SGP) 50.17.

IV–1. Benjamin 48.15; 2. Agyekum 48.33; 3. Victor Ntweng (Bot) 48.54 PR; 4. Gerald Drummond (CRC) 48.81; 5. Roshawn Clarke (Jam) 48.83; 6. Vít Müller (CzR) 49.02; 7. Seamus Derbyshire (GB) 49.20; 8. Dennick Luke (Dom) 49.32; 9. Julien Bonvin (Swi) 49.53.

V–1. Ezekiel (Ngr) 48.37; 2. Dean 48.67; 3. Francisco Guilherme Viana (Bra) 48.69 PR; 4. Alastair Chalmers (GB) 48.86; 5. Dhlamini Sabelo (SA) 49.50; 6. Ismail Nezir (Tur) 49.66; 7. Patrik Dömötör (Svk) 49.91; 8. Ken Toyoda (Jpn) 51.80; 9. Nazimul Hossain (Ban) 52.47.

SEMIS (September 17)

I–1. Samba 47.63; 2. Warholm 47.72; 3. Agyekum 47.83 PR; 4. Donovan 48.21 PR; 5. Guček 48.51; 6. Viana 49.01;… dnf—Robinson;… dq[lane]—Tisang.

II–1. Ezekiel 47.47; 2. Abakar 47.61 PR; 3. Dean 47.85; 4. James-King 48.01; 5. Lima 48.16; 6. Mukhobe 48.65; 7. Edlund 48.81; 8. Delgado 49.41.

III–1. Benjamin 47.95; 2. dos Santos 48.16; 3. Hemeida 48.29 PR; 4. Clarke 48.37; 5. Akçam 49.10; 6. Chalmers 49.49; 7. Drummond 49.58; 8. Ntweng 49.61.

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